


The Photograph

by BeccaAnne814



Series: Steve Rogers x Reader Oneshots [17]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Probably a curse word or two, Sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:23:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22491346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaAnne814/pseuds/BeccaAnne814
Summary: “Most people look at this and see the nightmare they have every night in living color.  I look at it and see the reason we keep fighting.  I want to show the world that there’s still hope—that there’s still a reason to believe in heroes.”
Relationships: Steve Rogers x Reader
Series: Steve Rogers x Reader Oneshots [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/772464
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	The Photograph

**Steve Rogers x Reader**

**Summary** – "Most people look at this and see the nightmare they have every night in living color. I look at it and see the reason we keep fighting. I want to show the world that there's still hope—that there's still a reason to believe in heroes."

**Warnings** – Sadness…probably a curse word or two

**Word Count** – 1.1K

**Notes:** At the end.

_ ** [Masterlist](https://beccaanne814.tumblr.com/post/174989754188/masterlist) ** _

[[MORE]]

She closed the door of her bedroom behind her and leaned back for a moment to catch her breath. The mission they'd just returned from had been brutal—one of the most brutal she'd experienced since she'd joined the team—and she needed a moment. She knew she had work to do, and a deadline to be met, but she wasn't quite ready to relive the horrors that she'd just witnessed.

Opening her eyes, she walked over to her desk and picked up the framed photo that sat there to remind herself why she did what she did. It wasn't a beautiful picture, and most people who'd seen it often told her how disturbing it was, but it was the reason why she was where she was.

The knock on her door wasn't unexpected. She'd deliberately left it unlocked for him like she always did, but he still insisted on the formality. "It's open."

The hinges never made a sound, but she could feel his eyes on her back so she knew he'd be in his normal stance—arms crossed with one shoulder propped against the jamb. When she turned, she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face when she saw he'd adopted the pose she'd become so familiar with.

"I know what you're going to say," she began before he had an opportunity to speak.

He let out a sigh and dropped his head for a moment before looking back up and meeting her eye. "I hate seeing what this does to you."

She nodded her head in agreement. "Me too, but it doesn't change the fact that the job needs to be done. People need to see that there are still heroes in this world fighting for them."

"But it doesn't have to be you," he argued as he straightened and walked across the room to take the photo from her hands. He looked down at it before adding, "I wish you'd never taken this picture."

A wry grin lifted the corners of her mouth as she took the photo from him and set it back in its spot beside her MacBook. "If I hadn't taken it, someone else would've. Who knows, you might've gotten stuck with some overweight slob that spent all his time drinking and smoking."

He took a breath to say something, but let it out with a soft chuckle instead.

"Face it, Rogers," she teased as she bumped his hip with hers. "You lucked out with me."

He reached out and cupped her face. "I know I did, but it still doesn't change the fact that I hate putting you in danger just to appease Ross."

She reached up and laid a hand over his. "Taking that picture changed my life, Steve. Let's be honest—if it hadn't been for that, we would've never met."

Leaning his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her. Under the sweat and grime from the mission, he could just barely detect the scents he'd come to associate with her over the past few years. He'd fought the attraction between them for so long, but eventually she'd convinced him that the world too unstable to waste what precious time they might have left.

"I don't understand why you keep it on your desk," he murmured as he opened his eyes to look into hers. "Isn't it depressing?"

She glanced back at the picture. He was right. She'd captured the most horrifying moment that everyone who'd survived the Decimation wanted to forget. In the photo was a little girl—not more than three years old—holding her mother's hand. But that's all that was left of her mother. YN had snapped the picture just as the woman was turning to dust, and somehow her form was still discernible as she looked down at her child who'd just started to cry. 

It was the photo that had captured the attention of the world and put her on Secretary Ross' radar. The entire course of her life had been altered when Ross had approached her to be the Avengers'—or what was left of the Avengers—personal photojournalist. He'd reasoned that the public needed to see what was going on and how Earth's Mightiest Heroes were still fighting to protect what remained of their world while simultaneously trying to figure out how to reverse what had been done.

"Most people look at this and see the nightmare they have every night in living color." She took a breath and tried to find the words to describe how it made her feel. "I look at it and see the reason we keep fighting. I want to be able to give that little girl her mother back. I want to be there when they're reunited so I can capture that moment as well. But until that day comes, I want to show the world that there's still hope—that there's still a reason to believe in heroes."

Steve nodded in understanding and she wrapped her arms around him. Burying her head in the crook of his shoulder, she allowed herself to find comfort in his embrace. The world was a violent and bloody place since Thanos, but at least there were still moments when she could find solace away from the horrors they endured on a daily basis. She felt guilty that her greatest happiness had come out of something so horrible, but it didn't stop her. In the end, everyone had to play the hand they'd been dealt, and she refused to stop living just because half of the world was gone. If there was no reason to live, then the battle was already lost, and she wasn't ready to give up just yet.

None of them were.

______________

Author's Note: Thank you for reading Day 88 of my writing challenge! I hope you enjoyed it! And here's some more angst because I know you guys have missed it so much! People always ask how I'm able to write these characters so well, and I tell them it's because I see the story play out in my mind like a movie. It's been a blessing for me these past two and half years because I've written some truly beautiful stories, but right now. . .not so much. Right now I can fully visualize that little girl with the tears in her eyes as she looks up at her mother in confusion. I can see the entire setting behind them—the crowded sidewalk full of people, some with looks of horror on their faces and others being blown away as they disintegrate into nothingness. I'm haunted by this image even though I know it's not real, but I guess the real question is: Can you guys see that little girl and her mom in your mind's eye? Does it haunt you as well? I look forward to your comments and if you enjoyed this story, please consider reblogging!


End file.
